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Three points of interest

Janey Mackers worth chancing back on soft ground

Soft-ground horses have either had to cope as best they can with one of the driest springs on record or else simply wait in their boxes for the weather to change, but the rain has finally come, and it will pay to seek out horses with form in the mud on Goodwood’s card which features a pair of listed races. The first of those, the Agnes Keyser Fillies’ Stakes (15:35) over a mile and a quarter, looks a wide-open contest with a dozen declared.

Miss Tonnerre, who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, will doubtless be popular for the in-form Ed Walker stable but she was well held when encountering testing conditions in last autumn. On the other hand, Janey Mackers, trained locally by David Menuisier, evidently relished soft ground when running away with a valuable fillies’ maiden at Doncaster on her second start last October. She ran out an impressive winner by five and a half lengths after sealing matters with a fine turn of foot.

Conditions were much firmer when Janey Mackers made her reappearance in last month’s Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket when trailing home sixth of the seven runners behind the very promising Falakeyah. She was beaten before the longer trip became an issue, but she’s certainly bred to stay at least a mile and a quarter and, a tall filly, is the type to train on too, though looked as if the run would do her good at Newmarket. With the likelihood that her reappearance has brought her on and that the return to soft ground will suit, Janey Mackers can resume her progress here as one of the least exposed fillies in the line-up.

Hamish the one to beat first time out under ideal conditions

‘16:45) at Goodwood. Hamish is a nine-year-old now but showed little signs of age catching up with him last season when book-ending his campaign with wins in the John Porter Stakes at Newbury and a large-field listed contest at the Curragh which he won impressively by five lengths. He also performed well in better company in between, running Luxembourg to a length when runner-up in the Coronation Cup this time last year and finishing even closer behind King George winner Goliath in the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris at Longchamp.

It’s not just Hamish’s liking for the mud that makes him of interest here, but also his excellent record fresh. He has won first time out for the last four seasons, including twice winning the Ormonde Stakes at Chester. In addition, he’s also a course-and-distance winner, having won the Glorious Stakes here in an unbeaten four-race campaign in 2023.

Hamish heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings by 2 lb from another who goes well under these conditions, Bolster, who tries this trip for the first time. However, Hamish’s main danger could be lightly-raced four-year-old Military Academy who had excuses in Saudi Arabia last time but was a listed winner himself last season at Kempton.

Statuario going for repeat win in Perth Gold Cup

15:57). He’s reunited here with champion jockey Sean Bowen who partnered him to both his successes over course and distance early last season, while brother Mickey has now racked up eight winners in the last month or so since becoming sole licence-holder of the Pembrokeshire yard following the retirement of their father Peter.